Monday, December 3, 2007

If you told me that George Bush was becoming a Democrat, or that Joe Gibbs was becoming the Coach of the Dallas Cowboys, or that Bill Gates secretly used a Mac in his office, I would be less surprised than the recent news that Nikon Professional Services genius Scott Andrews is leaving Nikon to work for Canon.

(For those of you who know Scott, I know that that thud was the sound of your jaw hitting the floor.)

What could Nikon possibly do to fail to keep Scott on-board? For decades Scott has been Nikon's go-to guy in Washington, and, to be honest, around the nation for high profile events. From the OJ Simpson trial, where Scott got remote cameras working to get images out of the court room, to countless NASA shuttle flights where Scott's images documented, and facilitated the documentation by every other news outlet, to every inauguration I've covered, Scott's technical know-how has been the driving (and supportive) force behind many a major news event. below is Scott's handi-work ensuring that over 100 cameras all are pointed towards the podium to capture the swearing in of the President. All are rigged to a single box, all are set according to the photographer's lens and camera choice, and this wouldn't be possible without Scott's know-how.

When the news made it to me today that Scott, as of last week, was no longer with Nikon, I thought for sure he'd gone out on his own, or gone to work in the technical section of the photo department of National Geographic. When I heard he was to begin working for Canon, I didn't know what to think.

(Continued after the Jump)

I have been critical of Nikon's leadership in the past, to be sure. The failures of the D2x and the inaccuracies about that camera's noise was what caused me to shelve my Nikons, and purchase a Canon system. Recently, I was excited about the D3's impending arrival (Nikon D3 Spotted in the Wild, 10/31/07), because I had purchased one (They've Been Ordered, 9/3/07) and I looked forward to dusting off my trusty Nikon lenses. Then that excitement was dimmed by Nikon's promotion of an extremely poor business practice - shooting on spec, in their magazine. (Even When Nikon Gets It Right, They Figure Out a Way to Get it Wrong, 11/27/07).

Now, again, I can't imagine what Nikon did, or didn't do, to cause this cataclysmic shift in the photo world. I can't think that Canon finally decided to throw an ungodly sum of money at Scott, because, aside from the likelihood that they can't do that, Scott's not for sale. Scott has always been 100% truthful and straightforward with photographers about cameras - brands of all types - and their strengths and weaknesses. I am certain that Scott will bring back lost glory of Canon's days-gone-by to Washington, but what the hell is Nikon thinking (or doing) that created this situation? How can they get one more thing wrong when they are on the verge of getting a camera right for a change?

13
comments:

christopher
said...

The last thing that made me shake my head in disbelief was when i attended a Nikon expo last friday where they had an official presentation of the D3 that was held by the head of the german department of nikon. in the middle of the presentation he asked the Nikon photographer that was booked by Nikon to shoot the presentation to leave, because he didn't like to be shot and because he felt that the loud noise of the cam was so disturbing. as if that wasn't enough, while the photographer was leaving, he was telling the whole audience that just some days ago someone with a D3 had shot a classic concert and the musicians had all been disturbed by the machinegun-like noise of the D3.

Well I own two nikon D200 and obviously I'm non happy with high ISO both for banding and noise.In Italy is difficult to speak with Nikon as a professional photographer. Tech department told me tha banding was my fault because I was non supposed to take this kind of picture.Now it is time to make a choiche. I will wait for the new Canon 5D and I will decide what to do.Here in Italy Nikon does'not want to speak with a lot of professional and every time I meet other photographers I discover tha they switched to Canon.

This latest string of missteps is probably the last straw for me. Like most, I've waited and waited and waited for Nikon to get back on board, and the recent announcements of new cameras and stellar performance buoyed my hopes. But I'm realizing that it's too little, too late. Meanwhile Canon is forging ahead, ever stronger, ever more innovative, ever more responsive to its customers. All the while Nikon doesn't seem to care, or at the least, they don't respond in a manner that gives me confidence.

So this year I will probably switch to Canon. I don't relish the process or expense, nor do I look forward to the learning curve and change of habits and familiarity. But I'm tired of waiting for Nikon to get on the ball, to start listening to its customers, and to once again become the leader it once was.

Scott will do great things for Canon.I'm sure there are hundreds of photographers at KSC (not just Nikon users) who are very gratefull for his always generous help andamazing amount of knowledge.Canon is very fortunate to haveScott on their staff. Besides being a really execllant photorapher and the best camera support technican he is also a really great person.